Military commander for Libya's Benghazi killed by roadside bomb in area with IS presence

Published December 02, 2015

A Libyan official says the head of military operations in the country's second largest city, Benghazi, has been killed by a roadside bomb.

The military spokesman for the internationally recognized government based in the east says Col. Ali al-Thoman died Wednesday after stepping on a mine in Sidi Faraj, a farming and residential area.

The spokesman, Khalifa el-Abeidi, says troops had recently driven militants from an alliance of Islamic factions, including the IS group, out of the area. Residents say the area is largely controlled by IS. They spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal.

Libya was plunged into chaos after a 2011 Arab Spring-inspired uprising, which began in Benghazi and led to the overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

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